Guy Deckard «

The Great Planner

Posted on Jan 8, 2018 by Guy Deckard in #mondaymotivation | 190

The Great Planner
From the January 1st reading

This week’s motivation is taken from Luke 1 where we see God’s hand planning out every detail from eternity past to ensure that His will comes to pass.

SCRIPTURE:

Luke 1:6 (NIV)

Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.

OBSERVATIONS:

Zechariah (the priest) and his wife were both upright in the sight of God – moral
They both observed the Law blamelessly – they pursued righteousness
Verse 7 – but they had no children!
They were both too old to have children.
This was a source of embarrassment for both of them.
But God had a plan!

APPLICATION:

Things don’t always go according to plan

Being “spiritual” is no guarantee that you will be wealthy, healthy and “blessed”

But God can do anything!

“For nothing is impossible with God.” – Vs. 37 Gabriel speaking

God is in control!

God has a plan and knows what He is doing

MOTIVATION:

Zechariah was chosen by the casting of lots to be the priest who offered the incense. Because of the large number of priests this would be the only time in Zechariah’s life when he would be allowed to perform this task.

The choosing of someone by lot was a common practice in the Old Testament. The practice of casting lots is mentioned 70 times in the Old Testament and seven times in the New Testament. We even see it in the New Testament when the Apostles were trying to determine who would be the one to replace Judas Iscariot. But, nothing is actually known about the actual lots themselves. The closest modern practice to casting lots is likely flipping a coin or the drawing of sticks to see who gets the shortest stick. Whichever method was used, the important thing to realize in this account is that God had a plan—even when things appear to be by chance, as in the casting of a lot.

I have come to the conclusion in life that things don’t merely happen by chance. There is no such thing as luck, good or bad. Accidents do happen, but there is very little, if any, randomness in life. We see this lack of randomness in the design and planning of God’s creation. When we look through the Old Testament prophecies and see their fulfillment, not just in the life of Jesus, but in the life of the nation Israel, we see God’s hand. When we look at history and study archeology, God’s sovereignty—His all-encompassing plan—becomes more and more evident.

So, if God’s plan can be seen in history, prophecy, and the life of a nation, then we can trust that God knows what He is doing in our lives as well. Choices that can seem so meaningless can have an enormous impact on what happens years down the road. A teenage boy decides that he is going to date a certain young lady in high school, but had no idea that this “chance encounter” will change the course of his life forever. Now, 34 years later this month, it is easy for me to see God’s hand in this “chance” encounter after a football game in the school parking lot.

What is important is to see God’s hand in our choices and in their outcome. That’s why it is so important to know and understand God’s will. The only way that I know to know and understand God’s will is to know His Word. The only way to know His Word is to read it, to study it, and to make it a part of who you are. We need to spend so much time in His Word that it renews our minds and transforms our lives (Romans 12). There is power in the gospel and there is more than enough power in His Word to change us. So much so, that in some ways, we begin to know and understand the mind of God. And after a while, we can even begin to know His will.

Knowing God’s will for our lives doesn’t have to be this huge mystery that we chase after hoping we made the right choice. Most of God’s will is found right in His Word. But there are no short cuts. It takes time and discipline.

What this means for all of us is that we can truly trust God! We can trust Him with our lives, and, yes, even the lives of our children. We don’t have to live in fear or be anxious for tomorrow. We can truly know that He is in control and that He even has a plan for me, and for you. There is no randomness. God is not surprised. If He had a plan for Zechariah to be in the temple on that particular day to receive a life changing message, then He definitely has a plan for you. After all – He is the Great Planner!

PRAYER:

Take a minute to pray that God would show you His hand in your life. Reflect over the decisions or things in your life that may have seemed random at the time, but had an important impact later in life.

I would be curious to hear your story, and how God worked out or is continuing to work things out in your life. Share below in the comments or message me on Facebook.

The Great Shepherd

Posted on Jan 1, 2018 by Guy Deckard in #mondaymotivation | 459

The Great Shepherd

From the December 21st Reading

Scripture:

John 10:27-28 (NIV)

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Observations:

His sheep listen to His voice!

• As followers of Christ, we listen to Him. We listen to His teachings. We listen to His still, small voice. We recognize His voice over all of the clamor of “voices” around us.

He knows them.

• Our great Shepherd knows us. He knows each of the sheep in His flock. He truly knows us!

They follow Him.

• His sheep follow Him. We are followers of Christ—that means we follow Him and we attempt to be like Him.

He gives them eternal life.

• We were once dead in our sin and wrongdoing, but He has given us life. Abundant life! We no longer need to fear death. We no longer have to live a mediocre life, without hope!

We will never perish.

• This body may die and it is dying even now. But our spirit will not perish into nothingness. We will not suffer for eternity in punishment.

No one can snatch us from his hand.

• Nothing can separate us from the love of God! Not even me!!

Application:

We need to listen and obey!

• Jesus said that if we love Him, we will obey His commands.

We have eternal life!

• We don’t have to fear death! We will spend eternity with Him!

My salvation is secure!

• he will never leave me nor forsake me. I don’t have to just hope that I will make it—I can know for sure!

Motivation:

When I think of how Christ is our Great Shepherd, I think of the story that Dr. Lynn Anderson shares in His book, “They Smell Like Sheep.” He shares about this man who was taking a tour in Israel and how the tour guide topped to point out a large herd of sheep. There was this very large herd of sheep with several shepherds. As this herd approached a split in the trail, the shepherds went off their separate ways. Immediately the mass of sheep behind them began to split up and follow their own shepherd. When the various shepherds and their flocks were distanced from each other by a few hundred yards, the shepherds turned around to find that there were still a few strays that were wandering in confusion. Then one of the shepherds cupped his mouth and called out, “Ky-yia-yia-yia!” At his shout, a few of the stray lambs perked up their ears and bounded toward his voice. Then a second shepherd cried out with a shrill, “Hoot-hoot-hoot!” Each shepherd, in turn, called. Each of the strays, hearing a familiar voice, knew exactly which shepherd to turn to. And to this man’s amazement, the massive herd of sheep split in several different directions, each following the voice of its own shepherd.

When we grow in Christ, we begin to recognize his voice. There are many voices in this world crying out for our attention, our devotion. Paul says that the Christian life is like running a race. We are to run towards the goal: Jesus Christ! But, many times, as we are running the race, we are distracted by the voices of the people and the temptation of things in the stands. We waiver in our commitment to Him. It becomes harder and harder to hear His voice and we can get lost.

This Scripture says that He knows us! He knows our weaknesses. He knows our past. And He calls us anyway! Many times we wander off and we begin to follow other things that are calling out to us. But He patiently calls out to us, waiting for us to recognize His voice and come to Him.

We are so like sheep! We wander around in the rocks and the thorns of life. We get stickers and scrapes along the way. But when we stop long enough to listen and come to Him, He picks us up and picks out the stickers, speaks kind and loving words to us, and whispers in our ear, “Follow me! Just stick with me. Put your feet where I place mine and everything will be alright.”

As we begin this new year, listen for His voice. Spend time in His Word each day and listen for His voice as He guides you throughout your day. Spend time seeking His face.

His sheep listen to His voice and they follow Him!

Monday Motivation Introduction

Posted on Dec 20, 2017 by Guy Deckard in #mondaymotivation | 456

Monday Motivation Introduction

We hope you join Pastor Guy in this awesome opportunity!

A little over a year ago I went on a six week Sabbatical. I had never been on a Sabbatical before and wasn’t completely sure of what to expect. I booked a campground for the first week of my spiritual renewal and I packed some camping gear, some books, my Bible, and, yes, a fishing pole.

During this quiet time in the mountains near Flagstaff, I read a book that has changed my life—it is called “The Divine Mentor” by Wayne Cordeiro. The sub-title of the book is: Growing Your Faith as You Sit at the Feet of the Savior. This book challenged me to spend time each day purely in His Word. It suggested a reading plan that I have found to be different than any other I have used before. Each day has a chapter from the Old Testament, Proverbs or Psalms, and the New Testament. Immediately I was amazed at how much thought had gone into this reading plan—all of the different chapters for that day were correlated with the others, Old Testament passages were tied directly to passages from the New Testament, and each day I was awakened by a new discovery in the Scriptures.

This reading plan, along with some journaling, has changed my Christian walk. Each day I am drinking from God’s word and filling my soul. I have seen more spiritual growth over this past year than I have in years. And I have found by reading from the Scriptures each day I not only fill my soul, but it begins to overflow, not just into my life, but into the lives of others.

I would like for you to join me by reading this weekly blog. My goal with this blog will be to share with you the nuggets that I have found from the Scriptures over the past week. I will select a passage that really spoke to me and then share with you what blessed me from God’s Word and why. It is my hope that you will be encouraged in your faith, and that you will take up your cross along with me in this journey. Together, we will begin to learn from the Divine Mentor.